Little Sisters
by momofthreegrls
Summary: A young Audra decides it's time she was allowed on a cattle drive.


**Little Sisters**

For the past few hours, Audra's view consisted mostly of Mr. Smith's back and bits and pieces of sunshine that managed to peak through around his wide frame. Abel Smith was a big man, full of rippling muscles built from his years working as a slave on the Pierce's farm. Now a free man, he was employed as a general handyman for the Barkley family. However, after Tom Barkley had discovered the man's cooking talent, he was currently filling in for Howard Burgess, who'd been injured preparing for the cattle drive.

_All them pretty gals will be there  
Shuck that corn before you eat;  
They will fix it for us rare,  
Shuck that corn before you eat.  
I know that supper will be big,  
Shuck that corn before you eat;  
I think I smell a fine roast pig,  
Shuck that corn before you eat*_

Abel's deep voice was soothing and Audra yawned. She'd been up since before five o'clock, getting ready for this adventure and had had little sleep since then. Judging by what she could see of the sun, it was mid morning. Soon it would be time for Mr. Smith to stop the wagon and begin preparing lunch. Her stomach growled as she reached into her burlap bag for a piece of beef jerky. As she took a bite, she hoped that the stories she'd heard of Mr. Smith's cooking were true. It had been nearly a week since Silas had been called away to take care of his sick brother. Papa had almost told Silas that he couldn't go, not with Mama out of town too but finally, Papa had agreed. Since then, Nick or Papa (Jarrod was too busy setting up his law office in Stockton to help) had been preparing the meals and neither one could do more than boil water.

"Whoa," said Mr. Smith and the wagon quickly pulled to a stop.

Audra grabbed the side of the wagon bed to keep herself from rolling forward. She looked up to see Mr. Smith lay down the reins and climb down from the bench. In a few seconds, he would be at the back of the wagon and opening up the cover. She looked around for somewhere to hide and quickly settled behind a large barrel.

"Gonna be a hot one," said Mr. Smith.

She wondered who he was talking to.

"Yes it is, hope you're serving something cool and refreshing," said a voice outside the wagon. Audra recognized her father's baritone and trembled. "What did you pack in there, anyway?" She noted that her father's voice was closer and held her breath.

"Now Mr. Barkley, you know I don't like anyone messin' with my vittles before they're done," admonished the cook. He shooed the tall man away from the wagon opening.

"Let's see, I need some of this and this and a whole lot of this," said Abel as he reached into the wagon.

Audra heard clanking and then a bag scraping across the floor. She peeked from behind the barrel just in time to lock eyes with Mr. Smith.

"Well, I'm not sure if I'm needing that!" he exclaimed. The older man motioned for the little blonde girl to come closer. "Child, your Pa's gonna be awfully mad once he finds out you snuck into this wagon. You're too young to be going on a cattle drive," he admonished.

Audra crawled up to the front of the wagon, careful to keep her presence hidden from her father, brother and the other men. "I'm almost ten! Nick went on his first cattle drive when he was ten," pouted Audra.

"I don't know anything about what Nick did or didn't do but all I know is I heard your Pa tell you last night that you weren't going. Oh Lordy, I'm gonna be in a mess of trouble too. I know I should have checked this wagon before we pulled out."

Audra felt a pang of sympathy for the man. While she was probably in for a spanking, Mr. Smith faced a far worse punishment. Because of her, Mr. Smith might lose his job and with three grandchildren to help support, he couldn't be without employment.

"Mr. Smith, I'm awfully sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking about what might happen to you."

"Well, nothing we can do about that now," he replied. "Your Pa and brother just went to check on those calves, they'll be back shortly. You might as well help me out until they come back." He reached in and lifted the girl out of the wagon and set her down gently.

Audra was hard at work shucking corn when she saw a shadow in the shape of a horse and rider on the ground in front of her. She didn't have to look up to know it was her father casting the shadow. "Audra Victoria Ann Barkley." His use of her full name made her stomach sink.

"Yes, Papa?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"What in the world are you wearing?"

His question caught her off guard. She had expected him to ask her what she was doing on a cattle drive, not what she was wearing. She looked down at the shirt and pants, each at least four sizes too big for her small frame. "They're Nick's."

Her father laughed. "Missy, next time you raid one of your brothers' drawers, you should pick a brother who's a little bit more you size."

Audra turned her head away so her father wouldn't see the angry look on her face. She didn't appreciate him laughing at her. After all, it wasn't her fault Gene had taken all his clothes with him when he'd gone with their mother. Jarrod's clothes were too fancy and besides, the last time he'd caught her in his room, he'd threatened to lock her in there until she'd cleaned it. She didn't want to clean her own room, much less her brother's. That left only Nick. When he'd gone out to check on the new livestock, she'd snuck into his room and quickly grabbed the first shirt and pants she could find.

She kept her attention on the ear of corn she was holding as her father dismounted. He leaned down, his hands on his knees. "Audra, look at me," he said gently.

Audra looked up into her father's blue eyes as he told her that cattle drives were too dangerous for little girls. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close for a moment before he pulled her to her feet.

"Nick!" he called. The teen, hearing his father's voice, quickly rode over on Coco.

"Hey, isn't that my shirt and…." He began, his voice loud and angry.

His father interrupted. "Nick, take your sister back home."

"Yes, Sir."

Tom picked up Audra and placed her behind her brother. "You mind Mrs. Stanley. We'll be home in a few days and then you and I are going to have a discussion regarding your behavior today," he said sternly.

"Yes, Sir," replied Audra, holding back tears.

"Hurry back Son, we need to move these cattle," said Tom.

As soon as he and Audra were out of range of their father's hearing, Nick began yelling at his younger sister for sneaking into his room, taking his clothes and making him miss lunch. By the time they pulled up to the house, Audra's eyes were red and her face puffy. She slid off Coco's back, ran up to the front door and straight into Mrs. Stanley, who had heard them arrive and was coming outside.

"Honey, have you been crying?" asked Mrs. Stanley, noticing the girl's face. Audra nodded and then continued into the house. The silver haired woman turned her attention to Nick. "Young man, where have you been?" she barked.

"At the cattle drive, Ma'am," he replied.

"You brought your little sister on a cattle drive? Don't you know how dangerous that is? She could have been killed!" The woman spoke so quickly; Nick couldn't get a word in edgewise. "Well, at least you came to your senses and brought her back home."

Nick wanted to tell her that is was all Audra's idea to go on the cattle drive, but he knew his father was waiting so he just nodded his head and said, "Yes, Ma'am." Under his breath he mumbled, "And that will be the LAST cattle drive she goes on." He nudged Coco around and headed back toward his father, thoughts of annoying little sisters filling his mind.

* _African work song..taken from ex slave William Wells Brown's (1814-1884) memoir: "My Southern Home"_


End file.
